Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat everything except meat, fish, and poultry. Their diet is built on grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, dairy products, and eggs. It’s the most common type of vegetarian diet, and the inclusion of both dairy and eggs makes it one of the easiest to follow nutritionally.
What’s Included
The “lacto” refers to dairy, and “ovo” refers to eggs. Beyond those two animal-sourced food groups, everything else on the plate comes from plants. A typical grocery list looks like this:
- Dairy: milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, cream, kefir
- Eggs: whole eggs in any form, plus foods made with eggs like pasta and baked goods
- Legumes: lentils, chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, split peas
- Grains: rice, oats, bread, quinoa, barley, pasta
- Soy products: tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy milk
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, peanut butter
- Fruits and vegetables: no restrictions
This differs from a lacto-vegetarian diet, which allows dairy but not eggs, and an ovo-vegetarian diet, which allows eggs but not dairy. Vegans exclude all animal products entirely. Pescatarians add fish. The lacto-ovo approach sits in the middle, keeping the two most versatile animal-sourced ingredients while cutting out all flesh foods.
What’s Off the Table
The obvious exclusions are meat (beef, pork, lamb), poultry (chicken, turkey, duck), and seafood (fish, shrimp, shellfish). But some less obvious ingredients also come from slaughtered animals and trip people up.
Gelatin is made by grinding bones, muscles, and connective tissues from cows and pigs, so it shows up in gummy candies, marshmallows, and some yogurts. Lard, rendered from pork fat, can hide in baked goods and pie crusts. Isinglass, made from fish bladder, is used as a clarifying agent in some wines and beers. Carmine, a red dye made from ground cochineal insects, appears in certain food colorings and cosmetics.
Ingredients like whey and casein (both from milk) are fine for lacto-ovo vegetarians, since no animal is killed to produce them. Same goes for lecithin derived from egg yolks or soy. The key dividing line is simple: if an animal had to die to produce the ingredient, it’s excluded.
Getting Enough Protein
Protein is rarely a real problem on this diet, because eggs and dairy are both complete protein sources containing all the essential amino acids your body needs. A large egg provides about 6 grams of protein. A cup of milk has roughly 8 grams. Greek yogurt can deliver 15 to 20 grams per serving.
Plant sources fill in the rest. Soy milk contains about 3.6 grams of protein per 100 grams, comparable to cow’s milk at around 3 to 6 percent protein. Lentils, chickpeas, and black beans each provide 12 to 18 grams per cooked cup. Tofu and tempeh are similarly protein-dense. Nuts, seeds, and whole grains contribute smaller amounts that add up over the course of a day. The combination of dairy, eggs, legumes, and soy makes hitting protein targets straightforward without any careful food combining.
Nutrients That Need Attention
A well-balanced lacto-ovo vegetarian diet poses low nutritional risk, especially compared to stricter plant-based patterns. But a few nutrients deserve conscious effort.
Iron is the most commonly discussed concern. Plants contain only non-heme iron, which your body absorbs at a rate of just 1 to 12 percent, compared to the more bioavailable heme iron in meat. Studies consistently show that even when vegetarians eat similar total amounts of iron as meat-eaters, their iron stores tend to be lower because of this absorption gap. Pairing iron-rich foods like spinach, lentils, or fortified cereals with vitamin C (citrus, bell peppers, tomatoes) significantly improves absorption. Phytates in whole grains and legumes can block iron and zinc uptake, but soaking, sprouting, or fermenting these foods reduces that effect.
Vitamin B12 exists almost exclusively in animal-sourced foods, and plants contain none. This is where lacto-ovo vegetarians have a clear advantage over vegans: regular consumption of dairy and eggs covers B12 needs for most people. Adults need about 4 micrograms per day. A cup of milk, a serving of yogurt, and an egg together provide a solid daily dose. People who eat dairy and eggs only occasionally should pay closer attention or consider a supplement.
Zinc absorption faces similar challenges to iron on plant-heavy diets. Dairy products, eggs, legumes, nuts, and seeds all provide zinc, and most studies find that vegetarian children and adults get comparable intakes to omnivores. But some research shows lower plasma zinc levels in vegetarians, likely because of the phytate interference.
Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly the long-chain types found in fatty fish, are harder to get without seafood. Walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds provide a shorter-chain form that your body can partially convert, but the conversion rate is inefficient. Algae-based omega-3 supplements are an option if you want to bridge that gap.
Vitamin D is a concern for vegetarians and omnivores alike, since few foods naturally contain much of it. The recommended intake is 600 IU per day for adults up to 70 and 800 IU for those over 70. Fortified milk and fortified plant milks help, but supplementation is often necessary regardless of diet type.
Calcium Beyond Milk
Since dairy is on the menu, most lacto-ovo vegetarians get plenty of calcium from milk, cheese, and yogurt. People over 50 benefit from at least three daily servings of dairy or calcium-fortified alternatives to support bone health. For anyone who doesn’t eat much dairy, plant sources like broccoli, bok choy, kale, cabbage, okra, tofu (when made with calcium sulfate), and calcium-fortified juices or plant milks all contribute meaningful amounts.
One thing worth knowing: cow’s milk contains about 122 to 134 milligrams of calcium per 100 grams. Almond milk only provides about 13 milligrams per 100 grams unless it’s fortified. Soy milk is similarly low at 4 to 5 milligrams per 100 grams without fortification. If you rely on plant milks, check the label to make sure calcium has been added.
Health Benefits
Large-scale research consistently links vegetarian diets, including the lacto-ovo pattern, with lower rates of several chronic diseases. An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in Clinical Nutrition found that vegetarians had a significantly lower risk of diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and cancer compared to omnivores. The pooled data showed roughly an 11 percent reduction in risk of negative health outcomes overall.
These benefits are tied to the diet’s typical profile: higher fiber intake, more antioxidants from fruits and vegetables, lower saturated fat, and reduced consumption of processed meat (which is classified as a carcinogen). Vegetarian diets also tend to improve blood lipid levels, lowering LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. That said, a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet heavy in cheese, butter, and refined carbohydrates won’t automatically deliver these benefits. The quality of the overall diet matters more than the label.
A Typical Day of Eating
Putting this together in practice looks something like: scrambled eggs with sautéed vegetables and whole-grain toast for breakfast. A grain bowl with quinoa, roasted chickpeas, avocado, and tahini dressing for lunch. A stir-fry with tofu, broccoli, bell peppers, and brown rice for dinner, with yogurt and fruit as a snack. This kind of day covers protein from multiple sources, calcium from dairy, B12 from eggs and dairy, iron from legumes and greens, and a wide range of vitamins from produce.
The flexibility of including both eggs and dairy makes this diet practical for eating out, traveling, and cooking for mixed households. Most restaurants have multiple options that fit, and baking remains straightforward since eggs and butter are both allowed. For people looking to reduce meat consumption without navigating the stricter planning that veganism requires, the lacto-ovo approach offers a well-supported middle ground.